Round 1: Bratislava and Paris

Quick Glance: Of all the series involving first or second seeds – and maybe even third seeds – this one seems to be the most ripe for an upset. For one, Bratislava beat Paris four times this season in the six times they played. And Paris seems like they are teetering on being labeled injury…

Round 1: Berlin and Zurich

Quick Glance: Berlin seems to be just about unstoppable … at least until the Smurfs reach the conference finals or finals. Their top center (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) scored 111 points this season and their second line center (John Tavares) had 97. That means the Smurfs’ second-best center scored more points than 15 other teams’ best player.…

Round 1: Belfast and Stockholm

Quick Glance: This should be a good one. Both teams were hot when the regular season ended. And Jack Eichel vs. Nathan MacKinnon is worth the price of admission. Then you have Nikolaj Ehlers vs. David Pastrnak. The offenses are the headliners here. Belfast was 5th in the league in goals per game and Stockholm…

Round 1: Helsinki and Oslo

Quick Glance: Last season, Helsinki won the Cup and Oslo was knocked of the playoffs (by Minsk) in the first round for the third straight year. This season, Oslo placed 4th in the league and Helsinki was 3 spots beneath them. When the two teams meet in Round 1, all TV cameras will be on…

Round 1: Minsk and London

Quick Glance: Minsk finished the regular season strong (8-1-1) while London floundered a bit (5-5). The Hussars are the better team on paper and if they can maintain their momentum and form, they will be difficult to beat. When you think about Minsk, you think about their air-tight defense and star goalie Attila Adorjan. But…

Round 1: Dublin and Copenhagen

Quick Glance: Copenhagen was good enough to win the President’s Trophy as the league’s top team. Dublin spiraled down in the last part of the year and placed 14th. So the Guinness Chuggers will need a sudden and resounding turnaround to upset the Tridents in the next couple of weeks. If you look at the…

South wins, thanks to 1st-time All-Stars

Henrik Haapala, who scored 3 goals for the Southern Conference, is presented the MVP trophy by Edinburgh General Manager John Charles. Haapala also won a 2024 Jaguar, manufactured in the United Kingdom. EDINBURGH – Thanks to big performances from some All-Star Game newcomers, the Southern Conference managed to score a lopsided victory over the Northern…

Skills: Ekblad again; Bear and Matthews also win

EDINBURGH – Defensemen skated the fastest and forwards had the hardest shots in the All-Star Skills Competition held Saturday. And in the Most Accurate Shooter skill, defensemen finished 1-2. This season, a Bear and a Fox were among the fastest animals in the league. Ethan Bear of Madrid placed first, outpacing Brandon Montour of Lisbon…